Reversible clutch



@m 21 um, misma A. G. @com im REVERSIBLE CLUTCH Filed Dec. 15.. 1923ing/fa Patented 0st. 21, 1924.

aref @leef i REVERSIBLE CLUTCH.

Application filed December 15, 1923. Serial No. 680,861. Y

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. COOK, J r., residing in the city ofMonroe, parish of Ouachita, and State of Louisiana, and a citizen of theUnited States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inReversible Clutches, of which the vfollowing is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming, a partthereof.

My invention relates to reversible clutches and has for its object toprovide a simple, efficient and inexpensive clutch for connecting adriving shaft with a driven shaft in line with it so that the drivenshaftvwill be rotated vin the same direction with the driving shaft, orin the reverse direction, or to permit the driving shaft to rotatewithout rotating the driven shaft, 'and which will be particularlyadapted for use in motor boats in which the propeller is operated by aninternal combustion engine, or other engine, and in which a slightlongitudinal movement 'of the propeller shaft may be permitted. Afurther object of my invention is to provide av clutch in which therewill be no relative motion of the operating parts when the driven shaftis rotated with the driving shaft. A further object of the invention isto provide a clutch in which, when used in a motor boat, the thrust ofthe propeller when driving ahead will be made use of to ensureengagementof the clutch `members and, when going astern, the back thrustwill be made use of to prevent possible engagement ofthe clutch membersby which the driving and driven shafts areconnected for driving ahead.kkAy further object of the invention is to provide a clutch which will beof comparatively light weight, will be self-contained, self-k centeringand self-adjusting, will have no small parts and will not be liable towear or to get out of order.

Vith the objects above indicated, and other objects hereinafterdescribed, in view my invention consists in the construction andcombination of elements hereinafter de,-`

scribed and claimed.

Referring to the drawings 2- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical tionalview of a clutch embodying my invention. n

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure l,

SGC-

ony line 2 indicates the driven shaft which, if the.l

clutch is used ina motor bloat, will be the. propeller shaft to whichthe propeller may be secured either directly, as in Figure 4, or throughsleeve strips 3 and 4 fitting in longitudinal grooves in thevshaft 2 andcarrying at their rear ends a'kflange 5 to which the propeller mayy beboltedi or otherwise secured. Fast on the rear end of driving shaft 1 isa disc-G having hub 7. On its rear face this disc. is beveled at itsperiphery and provided with gear teeth to form bevel gear 8. Also on therear face of this disc and within the line of the bevel gear is arearwardly extending-annular flange 9. In the form shown in Figurel'vthis annular Hangs is yprovided on its outer face with an* nularguide ribs l0y and ll, of 'which guide rib 11 yis removable, and on4 itsinner kface is provided with inwardly extending annulark platesy kl2 and13, of which annular plate ,13 is removable. These annular plates extendinward nearly to the opening in the disc through which the shaftlextends.

On the driven shaft 2 opposite the disc 6 and of the same diameter withit is a discr 14' having on its forward face at'its periphery gearteethy forming bevel gear 15 opposite to bevel gear 8 and correspondingwith .it in allrespects except that it faces for-y ward.

`Disc Mis carried bydriven shaft 2fandy isso mounted on it that theshaft will ,ror tate'with it but may move longitudinally through it. Inthe construction shown in f Figures l and.2 the hub of-this disc isformed integral with or secured to the sleeve strip 3 kwhich `is splinedto the shaft and is held against rearward movement by a block 16 carriedby thesupporting framework iny which the shaft and sleeve strips arejour` nalled. Y n Y On the driven shaft 2 near its forward end is anoutwardly extending ringr 17 extendingnearly` tothe inner face of flange9 and having its forward face parallel withy and adapted'ftol have,frictional engagement M y in mesh with bevel gears 8 and 15.

kouter faces these bevel gears are provided with the rear face ofring12. It is fast on the driven shaft.

On the outer face of the flange 9, between the guide ribs 10 and 11, iscarried a fiat ring 18 which is normally free to rotate on the outerface of the flange. This ring 18 is provided with annular openingsadapted'to receive and serve as bearings for stub shafts 20 of bevelpinions 21, here shown as four in number, theteeth of which are withstubshafts 22 which lhave bearings in suitable openings in a fiat ring 23corresponding to ring 18 but of greater dame ter. Outside "ring 23 andadapted to be clamped upon it is a brake band formed of two parts 24 and25 each having at its upper end anvoutwardly extending lug 26, at its`lower end anvoutwardly'extending lug 27, and, midway between its ends,an outwardly extending lug 29 for engagement with a stationary part ofthe supportingl framework. The lugs 2T atV the lowerends of the parts24V and 25 are secured together by a bolt 30 which is preferablyprovidedV on one end with Va right hand screwthread, and on the otherend with a left hand screwt-hread and,1at its midlength, with a squaredportion adapted to be grasped by a wrench by which thebolt may be turnedto cause the screwthreads to draw the lugs 27 closer together or toforcethem apart. Nuts 31 and 32 are carried on the lugs 27,

VLugs 26 at the upper, ends of the parts 24 and 25`are eachrprovidedwith aserewthreaded opening to receive the end of clamping bolt 33having one end provided with a right hand screwthread and the other endprovided with a lefthand 'screwthreach and having at its midlength alever 34 by which it may be rotated to cause itsV screwthreaded ends todraw the lugs 26 together or to separate. When the'lugs 26 are drawntogether the parts 24 and 25 are caused to act as a brake band to holdthe ring 23, and vwith it the bevel pinions 21 andV ring 18, fromrotating with the disc 6.

lVhen the driven shaft is to be rotated in thesame direction with thedriving shaft vthe driven shaftis forced forward to bring -the forwardface of the fiat ring 1"( against the rear face of flat ring 12Vcarriedby the .flange 9 of disc 6. Through the frictional Contact ofthe faces of these rings the driven shaft 2 is clutched to the drivingshaft 1 so as to rotate with it. is thus shifted longitudinally to bringthe clutch member 17 against clutch member 12 the lever 34` is swungforward to cause the rlamping bolt 33'to force the lugs 26 apart and tomove the brake band parts 24 and away from contact with the ringA so `asto permit it to rotate freely. The ring y23being thus free to rotatewith the bevel 0n their As the driven shaftV about the flange 9 on whichring 18 rests,

these pinions will travel upon the bevel gear 15l carrying rings 18 and23 with them, without rotating disc 14.

llilhen the driven shaft is to be rotated in a direction contrary to thedirection of rotation of the'driving shaft the-lever 34 is swungrearwardy causing the clamping bolt 33 to draw the lugs 26 towards eachother and to cause the parts 24 and 25 to clamp the ring 23 and preventit, and the bevel pinions 21 and ring 18, from rotating about the axisof the shafts 1 and 2. Simultaneously with this clamping of the ring 23the shaft 2is moved longitudinally of its aXiS ina rearward direction toVmove ring 17 away from contact with ring 12. Ring 23 being thus heldstationary tl e bevel pinions 21 will Ybe rotated by bevel gear 8 and,being'in mesh withY bevel gear 15, will rotate it at thesame speed asthe disc 6 but` in the opposite direction-- The disc 14V which carriesbevel gear 15 being splined to shaft 2 it will rotate this shaft withit.

When shaft 2 is midway between its forward and its rearward position itsclutch member ring 17 will be out of contact with clutchV member vring12 and, lever` 34 being in its intermediate position, the parts 24 and25 of the bralre band will be out of clamping contzrct with ring 23, andthis ring, with the bevel pinions and ring 18, will be free to rotateVabout the axis if the two shafts and the rotation of these bevel pinionsby the lou bevel gear 8Y will not effect rotation of bevel gear 15.

Any convenient means may be employed for effecting the shifting of shaft2 longiV tudinally of its axis. The means here shown comprises a handlever 40 pivoted below the shaft`2,so connected with the shaft that theforward orrearward movementI of the upper end of this lever will effecta corresponding movement Vof the shaft, and so connected near its upperend with lever 34 that its movement forward or rearward will swing thislever o4 forward or rearward. In the the spring 45 bearing at one endagainst the rear end of the sleeve and at its other end bearing againsta head 46 on the rear end of the rod. The lever 40 is so formed, asshown This sleeve"41.vis held normally in Figure 3, as to embrace theshaft 2 and the sleeve strips carried by it andy is provided iny linewith the axis of the shaft. with openings adapted to receive trunnions48 and '49 carried by a ring in which shaft 2 may rotate freely butwhich is so engaged with the shaft that the shaft will movelongitudinally ofV its aXis with it.

Above the shaft 2 and carried by a fixed part of the frame is a segment52 provided with teeth 53 and 54 with which a spring detent of usualconstruction carried by lever is adapted to engage, the detent beingadapted to be released by the usual hand lever. y

Near its upper end lever 40 is connected by link 56 to the upper end oflever 34 so that as the lever is swung rearward from its intermediateposition it will swing the lever 34 rearward to effect the clamping ofthe brake band on the ring 23 as above described and, when swung forwardof its intermediate position, will swing lever 34 forward to sepa-y ratethe parts 24 and 25 of the brake band.

The ring 13 serves to prevent the entrance of foreign matter which mightwork into the space between the clutch member rings 12 and 17 andprevent the close contact of their adjacent. faces which is necessaryfor ensuring rotation of clutch member 17 by clutch member 12. This ring13 is not, however, necessary to the operation of the clutch and may bedispensed with.

In the construction shown in Figure 4 the discs 6 and 14 with theirbevel gears 3 and 15, the bevel pinions 21 and the rings 18 and 23 whichcarry them and the brake band by which these rings and the bevel pinionscarried by them, are held stationary, are the same as in theconstruction shown in Figure 1. But instead of the clutch member ring 12the flange 9 is provided on its inner face with a conical face 60, andinstead of the clutch member ring 17 carried by the driven shaft 2 thisshaft carries a disc 61 l'i ing block 67, and the lever 40 is providedwith pins 63 which engage an annular groove 69 in a sleeve 70 secured onshaft 2. The

lower end of the lever 40, in thisV construc-A tion, is pivoted in afixed part of the frame and the connection between the lever 34 and thelever 40 is made yielding, consisting of an inner member 71 pivoted atits forward end to lever 34 telescoping into an outer member 72 pivotedat its rear end to lever 40, a coiled spring 7 3 enclosing the outer andinner members'l and .72'and secured aty its forward and rear endsrespectively to'- the lever 34 'and the lever 40.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: A 9 V 1. In' areversing clutch the combination with a driving shaft and a drivenshaft. in line therewith and arranged to be longitudinallymovable, of amain clutch member carried by the driving shaft havin a bevel gear nearits periphery, a reversing disk rotating with the driven shaft but heldagainst longitudinal movement having a bevel gear near its peripheryopposite the bevel-gear on the main clutch member, an inner clutchmember between the main clutch member and the reversing disk, a ringbetween the main clutch member and the reversing disk supported by themain clutch member but freely movable in reference thereto, gearscarried by the ring between and engaging the bevel gears of the mainclutch member and the reversing disk,

means for moving the driven shaft longitudinally to shift the innery'clutch member into and out of engagement with the main clutch memberand means for holding the ring carrying the gears against rotation.

2. In a reversing clutch the combination with a driving shaft and adriven shaft in line therewith arranged to be longitudinally movable andhaving a propeller at its rear end, of a main clutch member carried bythe driving shaft having a bevel gear near its periphery, a reversingdisk rotating with the driven shaft but held against longitudinalmovement having a bevel gear near its periphery opposite the bevel gearon'the mam clutch member, an inner clutch member between the main clutchmember and the reversing disk, a ring between the main clutch member andthe reversing disk sup ported by the main clutch member but freelyvmovable in reference thereto, gears carried by the ring between andengaging the bevel gearsv of the main clutch member and the reversingdisk, means for moving the driven shaftagainst the thrust of thepropeller to release theinner clutch member from engagement with themain clutch member and for simultaneously holding the ring carrying thegears aga-inst rotation.

3. In a reversing clutch the combination with a driving shaft and adriven shaft in line therewith and arranged to be longitudinallymovable, of a main clutch member carried by the driving shaft having abevel gear near its periphery, a reversing disk rotating with the drivenshaft but held against longitudinal movement having a bevel gear nearits periphery opposite the ybevel gear on the mainV clutch member andthe revers ing disk carried by the driven shaft, a ring between themain. clutch member and the reversing disk supported by the main clutchIIB.

member, pivoted at itslower end below the 10 n horizontal plane of vtheaxis of the driven shaft on a pivot mounted to yield'on a line parallelWith the axis of the driven shaft.

- In testimony whereof I hereunto aix. my 15 signature.

- ALBERT GEORGE oooK, JR.

